At the last Microsoft conference we were intrigued by the Windows Phone platform and decided to purchase some for our business use. It’s one thing to see devices at a show, however the only way you really get to know a device well is by actually using it for a while.

Last month we attended the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto (WPC 2012). At this event we received our annual dose of Microsoft information and were able to get an update on their future plans. One of the key items that received a lot of attention is the upcoming release of the new Windows 8 operating system.

As we transition from spring to summer we also went through some changes at PCM. Earlier this year Jake left PCM to take up a new position in an enterprise IT department which left us a little short-handed for a month or so. Since that time we interviewed various people and are happy to announce that we are back to a full staff with even more robust experience than before.

Microsoft released Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) back in March of 2011 as an updated version of the popular internet browser. This new software was initially available as an optional update, however Microsoft has recently announced it will be pushing this updated release out through the automatic update process to all Windows Vista and Windows 7 systems.

At the beginning of the year, we moved to a new office in Stoney Creek. Our previous office in Hamilton had served us well for 11 years, however we had run out of space and it was time to move on to something larger. This new location has more than twice the space and allows us to continue to add more staff in the future.

As our network monitoring and IT management tools continue to evolve, so does our back-end professional services automation (PSA) system. As many of our clients know, PCM has an advanced PSA system in place to track your client details, service tickets, agreements and billing information.

This past summer flew by quickly and at PCM the service requests continued to come in non-stop. As we increase the number of computers and clients we support, we also need to increase the number of people available to service them to ensure we continue to give you the best possible support.

With smartphones being an important tool for many business people I often get asked which is the best. In the last year the market has literally exploded with many different options from RIM, Microsoft, Apple and Google. Each solution has their own pros and cons, however many of you will know that at PCM we continue to standardize on the BlackBerry devices.

For some time now, Microsoft has allowed charities to purchase software at substantially discounted prices. A few years ago this program was changed and restricted to only a few national resellers. Microsoft was concerned about licenses being sold to organizations that didn’t technically qualify and they needed some time to re-organize the channel.

At PCM we get to work with a lot of different software applications and have seen our share of great programs and not so great ones. Every once in a while there is one application that stands out and makes us say, “Wow!” Symantec System Recovery 2010 is one of those applications that has earned high praise around here in recent months.